Romanian-born George Enesco was one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century – a violin virtuoso as well as a gifted and prolific composer (though history’s memory reveres him as a player first). Enesco was a prodigy who graduated the Vienna Conservatory at 13, met Brahms, moved to Paris and studied with Gabriel Faure and was friends with Maurice Ravel. This disc contains a lengthy biography as a bonus feature as well as a live video version of one of his pieces played by this ensemble from a concert earlier this year, playable on computer. Since I am not familiar with any of Enesco’s music, which is odd since I have upwards of a thousand discs by hundreds of 20th century composers, I can’t compare this with anything I know previously. “Aria et Scherzino” was composed in 1909 and is now more a hundred years old. It is a lovely, melancholy piece for delicate strings, calm piano and simmering horns. “Octet for Strings” starts with a tabla-led groove, Miles-like trumpet and superb Tony Williams-like drums, with strong solos from the trumpet & strings. This complex and compelling passionate music fits the superb skills of this ensemble so well. Lucian’s final solo here is outstanding, as is Mat Maneri’s dreamy solo near the end. Bravo! “Sonata No. 3 for Violin & Piano” has an endearing melody that reminds of those soundtracks that Morricone wrote for those Italian westerns of the sixties. Both Alessi on trumpet and Malaby on tenor sax take incredible solos here. The other thing that makes this band so special is the consistently spirited and inventive playing of the Ban/Hebert/Cleaver rhythm team. Other highlights include Badal Roy’s tabla and vocal percussion, which are used most selectively to enhance certain sections of the appropriate pieces. As November approaches, we find ourselves considering the most engaging, best discs of 2010 – this disc is ABSOLUTELY a serious contender! – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
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